World Bank OKs $50m for telecom sector

KABUL Bank has approved a $50 million grant to help the Afghan government expand connectivity, mainstream the use of mobile applications and support the development of the local information technology industry.

The individual development account (IDA) is meant for the Afghanistan Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Sector Development Project that builds on the success of earlier projects, the World Bank Country Office in Kabul said on Wednesday.

In addition to supporting policy and regulatory reforms and strategic infrastructure investment, the project would help mainstream the use of mobile applications to improve public service delivery and programme management in key sectors.

World Bank Country Director Nicholas Krafft was quoted as saying: “Afghanistan’s achievements in the sector over the past years are exciting. The government’s policy and regulatory framework has attracted private investment in excess of $1.6 billion into Afghan telecommunication services.”

Krafft hoped the project would enable the country to create the infrastructure to better utilise ICT for service delivery, allow for greater investments in the sector and help create jobs and enhance economic growth.

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